I long for a desk to call my own. I have a very small built-in desk in the kitchen big enough for my computer. That is it. If you follow me on Pinterest, you will see an entire board dedicated to this simple idea. A workspace-just for me.
Recently, I have a small obsession with faux fur throws to cozy up a desk [or dining] chair.
However, sometimes the trouble with an obsession on Pinterest is being able to find a source to purchase! I traveled down a blogger rabbit hole and finally came up with a lead. IKEA. And of course, they are no longer available. I am hoping it is a seasonal item and will be back in stock next fall or winter.
A girl can dream.
What are your tricks to finding an item you have seen but don’t know quite how to get your hands on it?
Candied pecans are by far my most favorite holiday treat to make and eat all year long. My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me years ago. [And I mean years ago. Back when you had to print the recipe instead of “pinning” it.] I whipped up a batch on Sunday to add to a cheese plate. It took me about 15 minutes.
These pecans are extremely versatile. Use them to top a salad, give them as a hostess gift, or simply have them on hand to snack on. I am telling you-they are irresistible!
Candied Pecans
1 pound chopped pecans [Find them in the baking aisle. It’s the cheapest way to buy pecans.]
1 cupwhite sugar
2 teaspoonsground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoonsalt
6 tablespoonsmilk
1 teaspoonvanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread nuts in a single layer over a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until the nuts start to turn brown and the smell of roasting nuts fills the kitchen.
Stir together sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, or until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage of 236 degrees F (113 degrees C). [You will need an inexpensive candy thermometer.] Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla immediately.
Add pecans to sugar syrup, and stir to coat well. Spoon nuts onto waxed paper, and immediately separate nuts with a fork. Cool, and store in airtight containers. Mason jars work great!
I don’t often get manicures, but I think I am going for it the next time I splurge. “Go for it”, you ask? The glitter. I am going to go for the glitter.
It is something I can’t do myself [or at least not very easily] and it would be something totally out of my wheel house. Since emerald is the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year- green is all the rage.
With lives busier than ever, I felt like I needed to make myself a plan for getting dinner on the table. Winging it wasn’t working for me during the week. I thought why not share with all of you what we ate for the week? Hopefully you can get at least one idea for dinner next week. I plan to post on Saturdays. Let me know what you think.
*All dinner recipes are gluten-free. Because that’s how we roll!
Sunday: steak with mushroom sauce and cauliflower puree This recipe called for skirt steak. My grocery store didn’t have that available, so the butcher suggested flat iron as a good substitute. The mushrooms and wine sauce were delicious!
Monday: steak, mushrooms and wilted spinach Cut the left over steak into bite size pieces. Add sliced mushrooms and the steak in a skillet until mushrooms are cooked through. Last, add 1 cup of spinach to the skillet until wilted. Fast and easy. Tuesday: spicy chicken and hominy soup
Wednesday: skillet-poached huevos rancheros This was ready in less than 15 minutes. I had a kid distraction while poaching the eggs. They ended up cooked all the way through instead of being poached and this dish was still delicious.
Thursday: open faced sausage sandwich I had a evening meeting, so I left the sausage and the sauce simmering on the stove until my husband was ready to eat. I simply used a bottle of marinara, one [chopped] red pepper, and fully cooked [sliced] Italian sausage. Simmer all on low until warmed through. Serve on an open faced roll. Top with peperoncini peppers and mozzarella cheese.
Friday: Parents’ night out [can I get an amen!] I ordered pizza for my guys and the sitter, but came across this super idea for pizza in the crockpot. Might have to give it a try.
I will be honest, it hasn’t always been easy to find books my guys [grade 3 and Kindergarten] are eager to read. When we find one that gets the green light – I promise to share.
The Lunch Lady series is one such hit! These graphic novels are funny and imaginative. The Lunch Lady and her kitchen assistant Betty are the heroines – using crime fighting gadgets disguised as kitchen tools to save the day! “Serving Justice! And serving lunch! “There are eight books in the series, thus far, and each of them has been equally fantastic. Boys [and girls] can’t put them down.
A little ingenuity and a sense of humor got us out of a soggy situation yesterday. Little Man was eager to run off some energy at a neighborhood park. He bee-lined it to the super, fast slide and down he went. In the rainy northwest, every park veteran knows to check slides for water before sliding. My guy made a rookie mistake. His pants were soaked from waist band to hemline-all the way through to his underwear. Yep, pretty much ended park time.
We hustled to the car and I quickly shifted into crisis management. I had him strip and wrap up in a blanket, which I luckily carry in my emergency box. I didn’t have time to go home, so I used my car heater vents as a dryer. The pants would have taking a week to dry, so I dried his underwear instead. Little Man giggled and giggled in the back seat. We were headed into Seattle, so I bought him a new pair of warm ups when we arrived and the rest of our day went off without a hitch.
What crazy solutions have you come up with on the spur of the moment?
I recently read of parents naming their baby girls interesting names. Rainbow and Jett. I worry for Rainbow. That is going to be a tough, tough road. On the other hand, I actually really like the name Jett. Unique, strong and a great name for a girl to grow into. Why is one unusual name likeable and the other – not so much?
Naming a child is a huge job. I will admit I was a little nutty. Making list after list. My husband and I didn’t decide on our boys’ names before they arrived. There were top choices, but the final decision came after we held each one of them. In the end, we chose traditional names for our little men.
What do you think about Rainbow or Jett as a first name? What did you consider when you named your children?
